


Burgundy

by Broeckoli



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Cults, Dark, Developing Relationships, Diakko, Diana POV, F/F, Fluff to Horror, Foreboding, Halloween, Happy Halloween 2018!, Hidden Archive Warnings Because Spoilers, Mystery, Obsession, POV First Person, Yandere-ish, Yuri, long oneshot, self reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 15:43:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16478345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broeckoli/pseuds/Broeckoli
Summary: 'I always had a keen fascination for Atsuko Kagari, ever since she had walked into the large, bustling auditorium, out of breath and panting heavily like an excitable puppy, wearing nothing but some brown shorts and a white Shiny Chariot t-shirt.' | If only Diana Cavendish knew the road that would lie ahead...





	Burgundy

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've been writing for the past two weeks for Halloween! It's a little experimental given I have not written a POV fic since 2013 I think, and given that it is a little bit of a horror story I know this might not get as much attention as my other stuff (that and the length aaaaa sorryyyy). Still! I hope you enjoy and please leave feedback \o/ I would like to know if you wanna read more POV fics from me in the future : >
> 
> Enjoy!

I always had a keen fascination for Atsuko Kagari, ever since she had walked into the large, bustling auditorium, out of breath and panting heavily like an excitable puppy, wearing nothing but some brown shorts and a white Shiny Chariot t-shirt.

After glancing over her glistening forehead, the front of her shining brunette hair sticking to the layer of sweat that adorned it, as well as her open mouth that expelled air harder than a gale, my azure eyes caught hers. She had them closed at first as she caught her breath, her hands resting on her bare knees as the class and the lecturers looked on in annoyance or humour, but when she opened them I felt my breath taken away.

Even from where I sat, midway up the vast rows of seats, I could see just how deep those red, almost burgundy eyes shone. In the light they appeared so bright, and I instantly knew that if I were fortunate enough to see them in the dark, the distinct burgundy glow would warm my soul. She was of Asian descent and her beauty was unparalleled, her brown locks flowing down her back and a dash of it running down her front to the side.

She appeared so vibrant, so innocent and full of wonder. It was as if she was treating life as a treat bestowed upon her by the kindest of gods, enjoying every moment and situation she was placed in, even if it embarrassed her. She flashed an anxious smile as she straightened her back and sent a cute little wave to the lecturer leading the course, saying her welcomes and her apologies at the same time.

I was so drawn in, so shocked at the display, that my mouth went agape for the briefest of moments. She was so contrasting to me; from the slight tan on her skin to the paleness of mine, her styled brown hair made her as distinct as my blonde and mint-tea strands that sprang and curled in various directions – a unique trait of my family that always set me apart from the rest.

Gosh, it felt so insignificant compared to her.

I could not get over the beauty of the woman, as much of a dolt she seemed to be, and I could not help but feel the urge to direct her to a seat beside me. For a moment, I curiously questioned to myself as to whether she was an exchange student or of British descent, genuine in my lack of knowledge on the possibility of either thanks to my isolation from most of society.

Alas, when she made her bouncy apology, running up the stairs to sit near the back of the room, the seats beside me were occupied by my long-time friends, Hannah England and Barbara Parker. Despite my state I could still hear them whisper to me their remarks, disparaging and cruel, and far more malicious than simple isolation could bring out in people.

“Ugh, what an idiot...” Said Hannah, mostly directing her words towards her closer friend in Barbara, more than myself. My other friend replied quickly.

“Yeah, another import that can’t even get the time right.” She tutted and I winced, though I hoped neither of the girls noticed my disapproval. They did not, and inwardly I sighed in relief, not wishing to cause a stir so early in the morning.

Our families were part of the aristocracy, and those outdated views tended to crop up even among the youngest of our families. I did not care much for politics nor wished to engage in it, having been dragged into it so early in my life as a child with the passing of my mother, but even a person such as myself knew when a comment was unnecessary. I wanted to get away from that kind of environment, that kind of reminder as to how cruel and vicious people could be, even if a university would provoke these kinds of discussions on society and political upheaval.

I wanted to listen to all the opinions, I almost wanted to be mocked and teased for who I was and my background. There was an odd masochism within me, fuelled by my desires to leave the name of Cavendish behind, or to strive to make it better, to reform it and bring fresh life into my dying, backwards family of arranged marriages and political manoeuvring.

It was almost childish, idealistic, but I was determined to be better, even if I still wanted to close myself off from anything that I could grow attached to, anything that could hurt me.

My Aunt, Daryl, originally wanted to send me to a university or institution l where I would have been placed in a kind of echo chamber that would have befitted a member of the upper classes, but I fought against it. Instead I pushed to come here, to Luna Nova University, miles upon miles away from my estate where I could lead a normal life, a balanced life, breaking free of the isolation that had dented my social awareness and the skills needed to truly survive in society.

In other words - more cynical words I may add - a way to get away from the prison I was placed into.

And for some reason...

Some odd, strange reason...

This adorable woman – who I had yet to know the name of – with her bouncy little pony tail, deep red eyes and bright smile, represented that kind of change that I wanted, that kind of experimental, new life that I always wanted to go down.

Even if I had repressed it for most of my childhood, after _her_ passing...

As the introduction went on I soon found out her name. The lecturer asked around for students’ reasons for taking the Veterinary course – a subject I was always keen on, given my love and adoration for the many horses, dogs and cats we had at the manor – and every student had to stand up, say their name and give the class a casus belli.

Hannah and Barbara struggled a little, finding it difficult to not give the real reason as to why they came here; to follow me and stay close to their richest, most noble of friends. While I considered their friendship to be genuine, I always had that doubt and fear in the back of my mind, questioning their true motives.

It was certainly difficult to connect to them at times, and the sly comments they had made over that dazzling girl was proof of such division.

When I stood up from my seat, in between my two ‘friends’ reasoning, I stated quite clearly who I was and how I wished to get away from the name, to pursue a different path in my life, one more innocent and helpful than what my family would have expected. I had a genuine desire to change the reputation of my name, to take it down a new path and secure it’s future in a better way, a more humane and caring way.

When I sat down to silence, like every student had, I could not help but turn my head. I tentatively peered my gaze over my shoulder, trying not to look too odd or out of place as I did so.

I wanted to see the girls reaction, I could not help myself. My curiosity implored me to do so, my nerves unable to settle as a buzz coursed through my body, exciting my bones and making my leg twitch in excitement and anticipation.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at me.

Deeply into me, almost sucking me in.

She had a faint smile on her face as she held her head up with her hands, her body ever so slightly shaking from side-to-side. Perhaps she was humming a little melody to herself, a lullaby song to chill her nerves or to show contentment, and staring at me and listening to my words only helped in that.

I quickly turned back around, my multi-toned hair flaying as it responded to the rapid motion. It startled Barbara but she was none the wiser.

After a few more moments it was the mystery girls turn. Now, to be fair, almost everyone in there was a mystery, slowly unwrapping themselves like a horde of birthday presents and revealing their social skin. But this one was special, I knew it; this one was someone to keep an eye out for.

I still could not explain why, but the burning sensation I was feeling in my chest only intensified when she began to speak. Her voice was so chirpy and so enthused that it would make anyone else wince and furrow an eyebrow, like the two sitting beside me, scowling and mumbling under their breath. But for me it was like honeydew, and I tuned out the muttering swears and curses and focused only on her shining smile and bubbly voice, her endless joy and determination.

“I’m Atsuko Kagari!” She declared, placing a hand atop her chest to hammer the point home, a confident smile on her lips. “But you can call me Akko for short!” Her cute little nickname stuck with me instantly, and in time I would often find myself referring to her as such. While I would use surnames for so many others, only reducing my formality once I had garnered a better understanding of the person, my initially rare interactions with Akko would always result in my stating her preferred address. It was so strange of me to not follow the habit of a lifetime for this one person, and throughout my first year on the course I could not fathom why I did so.

I had my doubts, my worries, fears that maybe I was something else to every other person around me in the aristocracy, in my immediate and distant family. That, and the company that I kept at arms length around me, helped fuel my weariness over interacting with her in that year. While I tended to be the centre of attention, attracting a kind of persona I wished to avoid but begrudgingly accepted, Akko tended to stick to her little group.

She attracted others in the class who had origins outside of England, or who had come from a different place to begin with. One would be from the far-east who had an obsession chemistry, conducting a joint honours that did not quite match, while another was from a Scandinavian country, who was apparently eager to branch out her own family’s line of work.

They were an odd bunch in class, and they would often clash with many in the modules we took, often having differences in opinion over methods or ethical implications.

We ourselves would clash often, though it would usually be between ourselves instead of through contributing to a debate already occurring.

Our eyes would clash just as often.

After every argument, after every contribution in general, we would always end up mistakenly crossing our gazes, and a light blush would always grace my cheeks.

I was always the one to turn away first.

Whenever I closed my eyes to try and sleep that first year all I could remember seeing were those burgundy eyes staring back at me; inquisitive and happy, or upset and angry. I would wake up in cold sweats or warm flushes, shaken or embarrassed as I struggled to process my repressed emotions, always trying to bury away the theories or conclusions as to why I would react in such ways to her; and why only her.

The summer break gave me some respite in this. For a while I dreamed of nothing, merely passing out after a long day of intense study and increasing micromanagement of my family’s estate. My role as the presumptive heir to the head of the family was slowly morphing into the true, proper and actual leader, and I longed for my return to Luna Nova, away from the responsibility and the pressure.

I missed questioning myself.

I missed those deep, burgundy eyes, and the fire she would instil into my chest as we clashed with our opinions and our gazes, unable to stop myself from darting my eyes towards her odd little Shiny Chariot key-chain that dangled from her rectangular bag.

By sheer coincidence, for the second year of the course, we had chosen the exact same modules, and were thus closer in contact with each other than before. Given that the classes would thin in numbers and shrink in room size, it only grew the relationship that people considered some kind of rivalry, and the first module session of the year only played into that.

Immediately we clashed in a seminar.

Immediately we were off on a bad foot, after a lecture where we had to sit on the same table, opposite each other, desperate to avoid each other’s glances, and our piecing, antithetical eyes.

Then the first session of our second module occurred, only the next day, with evening encroaching on our day’s introduction.

We were placed in the same group for our seminar presentation.

When we saw our names directly next to each other, hers above mine, underneath Group 7; we both turned to each other in shock and awe from across the room. I am sure it was comical for the rest of the class, the giggles and snickers being proof of that, as my mouth hung open like it had exactly a year ago. But my astonishment soon morphed into a mixture of that and confusion, as Akko’s expression was completely unreadable. I could not quite tell her reaction as she seemed to pierce me with her red eyes, her lips still and her hands hidden underneath the table.

Maybe she was processing what had just been announced, or maybe she was dumbstruck to silence and stillness. I did not know at the time, but maybe that was where it started, or perhaps it was just a new phase of our lives intertwining with one another.

That being the closeness we developed for each other, and the rabbit hole I slowly descended down.

I can remember clearly our first group meeting; paired together to present the topic of owner interaction with veterinarians, where I had booked us a room in the library. We had exchanged phone numbers to allow us to contact each other instantaneously, given the importance of the second year to set us up for the third. I was behind the times with technology and social media before Akko dragged me down it, but I had grown accustomed to mobile phones over last year, and it was pleasant texting Akko from time to time before our first project meeting.

In the opposite fashion to her late entry to the theatre hall last year, she had arrived before me, and was sitting patiently at the round table in the decently sized cubicle, a small smile on her face as she ever so slightly swayed from side to side. Even after a year of knowing her, I felt perturbed by the display before me. When I had walked through the door it was as if she had already been staring at it, with no phone out on the desk or in her hands nor a ruffle or swoosh of hair if she turned her vision to the entrance.

In any other context, it would have been odd to say that ‘she had been waiting for me’. But in this regard, it had a more daunting connotation.

If only I took heed of it at the time.

“Hey Diayana!” Akko greeted me with the same kind of enthusiasm she always had, mispronouncing my name and treating me as if we had never had a feud in our life. I greeted her in return, my smile hiding the shouting in my mind for me to run away from her as far as my legs could take me. I thought I was just overreacting, so I decided to bury the screaming desire to retreat.

Instead I took notice of the blandness of the room, almost blinded by the shining whiteness of it. It seemed to glare in the artificial lighting, and it forced me to stare directly at the most dominant colours of the room; shades of red that had returned to dominating my dreams and hidden fears.

As I took my seat I noticed the clothes she was wearing: She had a blue scarf and an orange jacket, which she took off as I entered to reveal a dark red jumper. It was darker than her eyes but it still stuck out like a sore thumb. As I made myself comfortable on the black, foamy chair, I could not help but wonder if she still wore a ridiculously short skirt in this cooling weather. Still, it was not that cold, so I curiously asked why she was already wearing such wintry clothes in the beginning of Autumn.

“Well, it is a bit of a cold snap, don’t you think?” Akko did have a point as she turned the question towards me. Perhaps she was not as used to cold weather as I, given that I still wore a jacket and long sleeved top over something so heavy as a knitted, woolly jumper.

“Hm, I suppose so.” I agreed quickly as I unpacked my bags, wishing to move on with haste to the academic topic at hand.

Throughout the meeting we discussed our plans for the group project, detailing how to address the topic and in what format to present it. We figured a simple PowerPoint would do, along with some printed papers to hand out during class discussions. We were not just tasked to present a lecture after all, but to create discussion and debate, something that Akko was always strong at.

She was willing to take that lead while I discussed more intricate things, and after those two hours I left the room with a big smile on my face.

Her smile never left from the moment I entered our shared study space.

From then on we started to grow closer, the pairing for the seminar being a blessing for the part of me that was always deeply fascinated with her. Akko seemed to take it in her stride too, sitting closer and closer to me as the lessons went on and on. She was less aggressive now when it came to opposing my points of view and those I validated, but she was always more inclined to agree with me, adding onto my arguments whenever she could and nodding her head happily as I added detail to her own additions.

It was endearing, even if it was just a side effect of being closer to me.

The rest of the class seemed to notice this, as I heard the odd whisper discussing such things, as well as the odd direct message on social media or a text on my phone pondering why Akko had become so friendly so easily and so fast. I paid no mind to them of course, but a part of me did wonder why and how this was happening, and how someone could apparently hate another one moment but be attracted to them the next.

In every regard.

I could no longer deny my feelings for her, admittedly, as we presented our group session a few weeks later, watching her dance around the room aiding the discussion and bellowing out aims and tasks at the projector. Her loudness had a subtlety and grace that I could not help but adore; I caught myself smiling all too often, gravitating towards her side as we discussed the next session and as we rounded out the seminar.

We bumped shoulders as we thanked the class for contributing, and the feeling of her shoulder clattering into mine, as she enthusiastically dove to my side, imprinted into my mind like the bruise that adorned my shoulder.

We then had to stay back to have some post-seminar discussions with the tutor for the module, in which she said we gave the best presentation so far this year. It was a brief discussion and we departed fairly quickly, but given that the rest of the class had left and Hannah and Barbara were not enlisted into this module, it was just myself and Akko as we began our walk out of the university.

As we walked down the stairs and through the university, heading towards our respective exits, we chatted happily about how our presentation went, our heads nodding and our lips curving into smiles. When we reached the two exits we always take, mine to the left and Akko’s to the right, something unusual happened.

Akko turned left.

She wanted to walk me home. Or, at least, talk to me for longer.

I should have seen it coming from there, when Akko decided to walk by my side until I reached my dorm, that she wanted to pop a certain question to me.

“Hey, so, um...” Akko stuttered and glanced towards her shuffling feet, struggling to get out her words. I watched on in confusion, not certain what she was going to say, but ignoring my heartbeat that paced ever so slightly faster. A rumour spread through my body, a thought that felt impossible permeating through my bones as the signs began to appear.

“Mm, what do you wish to say, Akko?” I asked her warmly, speaking her name softly. The bustle of the street seemed to die down as Akko took a deep breath. But as she took her breath the wind around strengthened, and strands of her flowing brunette hair blew into her mouth, making her cough and nearly retch.

I rushed to grab her shoulders as she convulsed in coughs that were mixed with embarrassment, annoyance and frustration, keeping her steady on her feet as she began to giggle at the mess of it all.

“Are you okay?!” I questioned loudly, a frown on my face as I watched this silly, wonderful girl laugh from the silliness of her long locks catching the back of her throat at such an important moment of her life.

“Hehe, I’m fine, Diayana!” She mispronounced my name again, but I could not help but smile at the funny little emphasis in her pronunciation. “And besides, would ya like me any better if I wasn’t so dolty?”

I paused in shock, my mouth falling agape again like it had when I thought of such a word in reference to her so long ago.

“Wha-, I...” I could not help but stutter as the words processed in my mind; from the casual tease to the subtle hint that she knew about my growing feelings for her. My heart began to beat ever harder now, pounding at my chest as I finally realised what was happening...

As my journey down the rabbit hole reached it’s next mile.

Akko giggled again as she began to speak. “Like, I guess what I’m saying is...” She paused as she grinned and tried to hide her red cheeks from me. “...is that I want to go on a date with you?”

I can not quite remember what happened next other than the kiss on my cheek, given that my mind froze at the shock of it all. I know I accepted the offer, an offer to go round to her flat and have a movie night, but everything else went by in a blissful blur of happy humming and bright smiles. There was a familiar security to it and a sense of life, a blend of childhood and adulthood blended into a perfect chimera of comfort.

Regardless, I would get used to the atmosphere of her flat.

It was a nice space to go to, after all. It was funded by her parents and partly by some kind of streaming job she did online, something to do with the next topic at hand...

The Shiny Chariot posters, figurines and memorabilia, and how often she talked about it on her stream.

That should have been a red flag for me, given the past of the show and the people involved in it, but I could not help but be lulled into the comforting, welcoming aura that washed through me. This was because I used to be a big fan of the show as a child during its original run, and was one of the few shows I was able to find time to watch, or be allowed to watch, as I grew up in the repressive family I was born into.

The series dominated the airwaves during its running, topping the ratings of Saturday TV for the five years that it ran in the late 2000s. In those curious nights when I had access to a computer and the internet, I found out how much of a deep impact it had on those that had watched it and sunk so much time into it, especially the children and the teenagers...

That was the tip of the problem.

On our fifth date, which was the second time we had decided to just settle into her flat – given how cold it was getting outside – I decided to ask about all the Shiny Chariot stuff that dominated her walls and glass-panelled cabinets. By the cabinet she had a picture of herself as a child and Shiny Chariot, apparently taken and signed at some kind of public event. She had been mysteriously quiet about that and her adoration for the series, as if waiting for me to pop the question about it before finally divulging her passion for the show.

“Akko?” I asked out of the blue after a few minutes of silence, the both of us watching some random movie on the TV after she had finished her streaming.

“Hai?” She replied with a little jump, her head darting to meet my attention, a smile on her face as she reverted to her native language. I learned that her family had migrated to the UK from Japan over half a decade ago on the second date, and it was nice to learn all the little words and phrases that she uttered lovingly and suddenly.

“Can I ask you something?” It was a little redundant of me to ask the question, given she would probably answer regardless. But I felt nervous and anxious over it, considering the history behind the abrupt ending of the show. Akko nodded her head and said nothing as I fretted over the question I needed an answer to, and the discussion that needed to happen.

For my own peace of mind.

“How... _deeply_ do you like ‘Shiny Chariot’?” I tried to put as much implication to my question as I possibly could, while keeping it vague to see what kind of immediate answer she would give. For a few moments her red eyes, that seemed to glow in the dim light of the small living room, stared back at me with no hint of emotion. It unsettled me greatly, not being able to tell what she was thinking or how she was going to react. Eventually, after those few seconds, she spoke up.

“Oh, I love the show so much!” Akko told me with enthusiasm, almost bouncing on the sofa as she made the declaration. “I’ve watched it since the first episode and re-watched it so many times.” It was an innocent answer without the context; most people who have a favourite show like to re-watch them from time to time.

But with the context...

I decided to press the matter.

“Oh, um...” Until I grew nervous and my chest constricted, my neck closing in on itself and preventing me from continuing. After a few moments I pushed through, swallowing the nerves that threatened to eat me alive. “Well, are you uh...”

“Am I..?” Akko interrupted me, seemingly intrigued as to what I was about to say next. I looked her in the eyes again, them innocent along with her small smile.

“You’re not one of those um, those that take it to the extreme, right?”

Every show had their hardcore fans too. Those that cosplay none-stop and those who buy the blurays and figurines too. But this particular show had a set of fans that would take things to an extreme reserved for only the most religious of people...

Those who thought that maybe, just maybe, they could see _her_ again.

“Oh, the culty people?”

Akko’s reply was inappropriately innocent given the subject at hand, and while it may have settled me at any other time, this occasion was an exception. I swallowed again, clearing my throat and taking in a deep breath before I confirmed her intuition.

“Yes... those who, well... want to ‘meet’ her.” For someone like me, who would often be direct and clear, I could not do so for this topic. I was still a stuttering mess, my fears, concerns and doubts over-riding meas I hoped that Akko was not one of those people.

Not one of those fanatics.

“Oh nonono! I’m not gonna kill myself any time soon!”

Her insistence had as much impact to me as her bluntness did, pushing through my spirit and reassuring me that Akko was indeed not one of those, but reminding me of the hectic month that took place all those years ago.

What had happened was akin to some kind of high budget drama; a budget higher than the show ever had been granted. It was like it was from a movie, such was the astounding nature of it all. It had all come about after the end of the fifth series of the show, with ratings at their highest and media scrutiny at its most destructive. Every move, every rumour and every action was analysed and pushed out to the audience of the papers, gossip shows, channels and news outlets, putting more and more pressure on those in front and behind the screens of the series.

Rumours had been circulating for an age that Shiny Chariot, also known as Ursula Callistis, had been dating another woman who had been leading a tech start-up. I believe her first name went something like ‘Croix’, though I always struggled to pronounce it. As the show grew more popular and the fans and media grew more rabid for news and gossip around their favourite actors and the show, more and more would the press go after the rumours of their supposed relationship.

Weeks prior to the incident, the stress began to show. Despite the make-up they would put on her, Shiny Chariot appeared duller and duller as the fifth series grew to a close. She would react more frazzled and appear more irritable in front of the press and on social media, lashing out more often and vanishing more frequently from the sites and cameras as the end of October drew nearer.

Some thought that they had timed it intentionally, when it happened.

When news broke of some kind of disturbance at Chariot’s mansion, the fun and normality of the silly day of friendly frightening and trick or treating soon morphed into a day of pure, true horror and despair. As the news became clearer, and as the pictures leaked on line, slowly the world learned of the double suicide of Ursula Callistis and the purple-haired Croix, and the delusional letter they – or Chariot – wrote before they took their own lives.

‘ _We’re going to the world of wonders now! See you there, and never stop believing in your believing magic!’_

The next few days, somehow, grew even worse.

Multiple reports of copycat suicides occurred around the globe as people took the letter to such fundamental extremes that they thought they could follow them. Delusion, despair and distress led to hundreds committing suicide to walk in their same path; to meet their hero, their Shiny Chariot.

Akko then snapped me out of my stupor, patting my shoulder to regain my attention before speaking such loving words to me that I thought my heart had melted.

“I love Shiny Chariot... but why would I leave this world when I have you?”

I was so blinded by that.

The rest of the evening went smoothly, the romance of the moment returning but slowly becoming more intimate and close. I was still hesitant about things of a sexual nature, and while we still took things slow, Akko never bemoaned such nervousness and fragility over it. We slept in the same bed and walked to university together from her flat for only the second time, and for a short time I felt comforted by her answer.

Then the stares began.

It happened just under a week later in one of our classes. Amanda O’Neill, the resident loud-mouthed American had sat next to me, as she often did, and was being her playful self, while Akko had to make do with sitting on the edge of the table, having to look at me from an angle. Her orange and maroon hair had a similar multi-tone to mine and it helped set her apart from the rest of the class as well. Her dashing, vivid-green eyes attracted many people to her, men and women alike. I swore that Hannah had a crush on her, but I never found out if that was the case.

The lesson itself was a lot more hands-off than usual, giving the girl next to me more chances to talk about other things and be herself around me. Amanda would lightly poke and slightly push me from time to time - not that I minded as I grew accustomed to her physical nature – and joke heartily about our recently published relationship.

Akko was keen to announce that we were a couple, and maybe I should have taken that as a sign too.

Regardless, as the lesson progressed I began to notice a sense of frustration coming from Akko. She began to grumble and mutter to herself, and whenever I would ask about it she would immediately switch to a happy and cheery outlook. It was puzzling to me, distracting and slightly unnerving. But I paid no mind to it; I figured I could treat her to something to make amends for the bad seating arrangement.

But then Amanda wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

Just as that happened, I heard the snapping of a plastic pen.

Amanda did not notice it – she was too busy smirking and cackling over a joke she had just told to the table – but out of the corner of my eye I saw those burgundy eyes stare blankly at me. I did not dare turn my gaze fully to her as she smiled emptily at me, allowing the ink from the broken pen to trickle down her hand and through her skin, stinging her light stretches from the sharp plastic edges and fragments.

It took a minute for someone other than myself to notice or say something to Akko. Only then did she return to normal and dash out of the room to wash her hands, giving me time to shake off the display that I barely saw.

The hint that I should have taken.

On the walk home, with Akko by my side and holding my hand tight and firm, I sought to address what had happened in class. I brought up the subject slowly and carefully, tugging at her scarf with my free hand to make sure I had her attention. She was happy and smiling now, humming lightly like I had a few weeks ago, and her smile somehow grew larger and brighter when I carefully pulled at her scarf.

“What’s up?” She asked me in a chirpy voice, gazing at me as we walked. I made sure that were still on a straight path and clear course before I kept my gaze on hers, asking my question as I did so.

“What happened earlier, with your pen?”

“Ah...” Akko started, turning away from me and looking down the street. Some cars drove by, the traffic calmer as it was past 1pm, providing a humming ambient of engines and rubber on tarmac. “I must have zoned out or something, nothing serious!”

I asked her a few more questions, but she was insistent that nothing was wrong.

I could not quite believe it as more incidents occurred.

More blank stares.

More books slamming onto the table in front of my friends, be it Amanda or loose acquaintances.

It rattled me immensely, but I was not sure what to do. I had never been in such a situation, nor did I want to upset Akko by suggesting she stop things that she insisted were innocent mistakes or me ‘over-thinking things’.

So I tried to pass it off.

I tried to ignore it, to let it be. I wanted to be with her, and I was certain it was just some silly phase that Akko was going through. It was okay to be jealous to some degree, and to be bitter or annoyed over certain things not quite going right.

But her reactions seemed so off, those moments just a little too wrong to be a blip in the relationship that we desperately wished to build upon and develop.

A final red flag, one I should have heeded then and there, happened just a few days prior to the agony I had placed myself in now.

Halloween was approaching, and Akko asked me – almost insisted to me – that I come to a small little party she was having at her flat. I had no costume but she and a few others intended to try some trick-or-treating before returning early for some fun, and given we had no lesson the next day I did feel inclined to accept. Halloween was not a big thing in the UK, but it did not stop the odd child dressing up as a witch or a vampire, or going out in groups to raid peoples houses of candy and chocolates. I could see the appeal.

But I could not quite see the appeal of Akko not wanting my friends to come along.

Hannah and Barbara I could understand.

But...

“Why can Amanda not come?” I asked with some frustration in my voice, my brows furrowing as I crossed my arms and gazed at her with annoyance. It was a little petty of her to extend the non-invite to Amanda, but I was willing to agree if she gave me a decent answer.

She smiled.

“She’ll get in the way.”

Before I could ask what she meant she turned to run to her two friends, Lotte and Sucy, and tell them I was coming too. I did not know much about the two other that they were friends of hers from a dorm they shared in the first year, as well as the little clique they formed in the first year classes. I remember that the freckled, yellowish-orange haired girl was from a Scandinavian country I could not quite remember the name of, while the pale, thin-as-a-twig one was from the Philippines. They were complete opposites to each other: While one was shy, quiet but always wearing a smile, the other was monotone, intimidating and emotionless.

I was not one to judge people by their covers, but I knew that Halloween was going to be daunting in some manner.

What an underestimation.

After our short but sweet trick-or-treating that night, we headed to Akko’s flat. I in particular was very keen to relax with my darling girlfriend and to give her the tender loving care that I felt she deserved. Admittedly, the last week or two had shaken me a little, and I was considering pausing the relationship while Akko got her bearings, so that may have motivated me. But I did feel strongly for her, and still do, so I wanted to try and reassure her that, well... I was hers.

Corny, yes, but that was how I felt an hour ago.

Until things started to go wrong.

I had not been to Akko’s flat since my last visit a few days ago, so I was not prepared for the sight I would see upon entering her small but cosy apartment. When the door opened and the three trickled in, upon them moving out to their separate destination, the dim lighting revealed an array of decorations that fitted the theme of Shiny Chariot.

Of course, the flat was already heavily marked with the show and the red-haired magician who rode her broom and carried her magical staff. But there was something extra added to it. Across the walls large specks of glitter covered the spaces left in between posters and newly stapled pictures, making the shape of the stars that would glow from the Shiny Rod. They shined brightly in the lights across the room, and the candles that Lotte and Sucy began to light up.

The pictures were also new. While Akko did hang a framing of a picture of herself and Shiny Chariot on the wall beside the cabinet containing figurines and the like, I did not know that she held on to many more. From backstage shots of her in her uniform reading the scripts, to her normally dressed, walking into the television studio, Akko seemed to be far more obsessed with the show than she had let on.

While I analysed the room, slowly walking towards one of the brown leather sofas, Akko was boiling the kettle in the kitchen, preparing cups of tea and coffee for us. She hummed happily again, and that combined with the flickering lights of the candles began to disconcert me. It was a little odd, but I tried to pay no mind to it.

Instead I tried to focus back on the costumes that her friends were wearing. While I wore normal clothes with some whiskers painted upon my face, and Akko of course wore her Shiny Chariot costume, the other two wore something a little different. Sucy was dressed the neck to toe in a black garb that hooked and curved at angles around her shoulders and waist, like a menacing but suave vampire that had gone out on a business trip. Lotte meanwhile wore something lighter, with blue and white dominating the colour palette. The most accurate comparison would be something like her wearing a Cinderella costume.

As I finished my browsing of their attires I sighed and closed my eyes, my back falling flat upon the sofa as I tried to regain my breath and bearings. A moment later the sound of a cup landing on the wooden table rang through my ears, and I felt the presence of Akko looming over me, likely with a bright smile on her soft face.

“I made you tea! Just how you like it!” Akko’s bouncy statement cheered me up a little, and it relaxed me to know that she was there for me for such things when I did not have the energy. I nodded and thanked her, letting her give me a peck on my cheek as she walked towards her computer.

“I’m just gonna boot up my computer and log into the stream, if that’s alright.” Akko declared to the room, not really sounding as if she was questioning our comfort with the action and more just announcing her intention. Lotte and Sucy agreed in their own ways; the former smiling and the other nodding with no emotion. I on the other hand was confused: Why would Akko want to stream with all of us over? I thought we were having a party, after all.

Still, I nodded my head, responding with as much silence as the pale girl who always looked so deathly ill.

Akko would go on to boot up her stream, reaching her standard amount of viewers and talking about some kind of surprise she wanted to show to the viewers at some point. I assumed that she was talking about me and was going to introduce me to her thousand or so viewers, trying hard to fluster and embarrass me while getting some extra views on her channel. It did sound a little exploitative, but she was really starting to live off this channel, so the extra traffic would have been a nice way for me to treat her.

Either way, I simply smiled and shook my head, drinking my tea slowly as it cooled to an acceptable temperature. It tasted just how I liked it: Strong and dark, filling my senses with a firm bitterness that kept me awake and my tongue well suited for sweeter things.

For a while I was in my own world, trying to enjoy the ambience of the room that continued to make me fidget and worry. I felt a sense of foreboding, but I dismissed it and asked for another tea when Lotte said she was ready to make another. She spoke of making a special brew with some tea she had imported from the Philippines, and my curiosity inclined me to accept the offer for a sample.

For some reason, Lotte never seemed to stop smiling. Even Akko would stop smiling from time to time. But this Lotte person? She just never stopped. She was the complete opposite of Sucy, and it felt like some kind of weird overcompensation for her own lack of emotion.

But still, I shrugged it off.

Still, I buried the unease coursing through me.

Akko’s weird, nervous glances over her shoulder, seeing if I was still there and content.

Sucy’s silence, watching me like a hawk as she sipped her coffee and nibbled her biscuits.

And Lotte’s out of place, overly-happy mood which conflicted so much with the current atmosphere.

I tried to control my breathing as that doubt kept hitting me in waves, like a tidal force creeping up a flat coast, trying to calm my nerves and continue to dismiss the screaming in the back of my mind.

The desire to run away, to not think of tonight again.

Suddenly, Akko called out from her desk.

“Lotte?! Are we ready?!” She bellowed out from her setup, twisting the chair around and glancing over to me again, this time with a smile. I smiled back at her and popped a nervous little wave to her. She grinned at the little action as Lotte gave her an answer.

“Yup!” Was all the quiet Lotte said, her voice slightly raised for a change. I could hear the pouring of water next, slowly filling up the cups with water. It must have been a powdered tea as Lotte brought over the cups very soon after. The cups landed on the table atop a tea tray, and some of the tea powder was brought along, presumably just in case someone found the taste to not be strong enough for their liking.

“All done.” Lotte said softly, moving around the table to return to her seat, bringing with her the cups of tea intended for herself and Sucy. “Just let the tea cool down a little, there’s some sugar just in case it’s a little too bitter.” Lotte offered with a little giggle at the end of her sentence, lifting up her teacup and stirring the spoon resting within it. Sucy followed her in the action, staring blankly at the drink as she waited for the beverage to cool down.

Feeling a little out of place, I followed the motions, looking over to Akko who had turned back around and was whispering something to her audience. I hummed a sigh, wondering what she could be saying, trying to listen in to whatever she could be announcing. However, Lotte’s constant humming was drowning it out.

“Why are you so nervous?” Sucy asked in a bland voice, staring tiredly at Lotte.

“Oh, just, you know, hehe...” Was all she said. I gathered that the girl hummed when she was nervous, but her lack of a clear answer did little calm my own nerves. I sighed openly this time, placing the teacup down.

“So, what are we doing tonight?” I asked, hoping for a clearer answer this time around from Lotte. I had a sense of morbid curiosity invoked by the difference of aura upon entering the flat tonight, and it fuelled my paranoia over what the answer could be.

“Akko will tell you in a bit.” Instead of receiving an answer from Lotte, I earned one from Sucy instead, her voice as drab and dead as ever. I frowned at the continued lack of clarity, but I shook my head and waited impatiently.

A few more minutes passed, all of them in silence apart from the joyous, unfitting humming from Lotte. She kept stirring the cup, on and on, the scrapping of stainless steel on porcelain scratching at my ears like chalk on a blackboard. The noise was driving me mad, drowning out the anxiety that pumped through my veins.

Then Akko got out of her chair in a flurry of creaking, rattling and flowing, brunette locks. She turned around, looking over Lotte, then Sucy, and then finally me, her red eyes piercing through my soul with a hidden emotion I could not quite fathom.

“Okay!” She shouted at first, walking towards the sofa I sat upon. “Is the tea cool enough yet?” She proceeded to ask us next, smoothly placing herself beside me on the comfy leather. I offered to check for her, and a big grin erupted upon her face as I said so. As I picked up the cup, I enjoyed the aroma that it produced. It was something sweet, but I could not quite tell what kind of fruit or substance it came from.

As I put the edge of the cup to me mouth, I took in a hint of the dark, tainted water into my mouth, closing my eyes to more deeply register the taste and texture. Registering on my tongue that it was cool enough to drink I then took a bigger mouthful, frowning at the odd bitterness to it. It seemed to be sweet, but my tongue was not used to the substance of it.

When I opened my eyes, I felt my chest grow heavy.

They were all looking at me with a smile.

Even Sucy was smiling, all be it a small one.

I was confused, and my frown stuck to my face like glue on paper.

Then they decided to take a drink too. One by one they picked up the cup and drank the beverage whole. Over the course of a minute, they sipped or gulped down the liquid that had been brewed within the small tea cup, either savouring the taste or holding back a grimace as they registered the same numbing blandness that I had felt.

“Do you want a little more sweetness, Diayana?” Akko asked me all of a sudden, turning to me and picking up the spoon that had been in a her cup. On instinct I nodded, letting her dip the spoon into the bag of sugar that Lotte had brought a few minutes earlier. She dipped a spoonful into my cup and stirred quicker, clearing her throat as she did so.

“There ya go!” She spoke affectionately, as if proud of her little action. I could not help but smile and pick up the cup, ignoring the odd sensation in my stomach as I put the edge of the cup to my lips once more. The tea tasted far better now, and given that everyone else had drunk their servings, I decided to drink all of mine, ignoring the ever present bitter blandness that persisted despite the sweetening of the liquid.

“Ya like it?” Akko then asked me, sounding hopeful but glad that I drank it all. I nodded my head and hummed, though I could not help but voice my disagreement.

“Yes, but it leaves a rather odd after taste.” I commented honestly, rubbing my stomach as it rumbled in disapproval. Then coughing began to ring out across from me. I looked up and find Sucy rubbing her mouth after a short little coughing fit, and she seemed to take notice of my concern, looking at me with a blank stare.

“Sorry, just a side effect.”

A pause.

The room went silent.

My mind began to race as my stomach began to feel nauseous.

Thoughts crossed my mind as both Akko and Lotte had their own little coughing fits, clearing their throats and giggling nervously as my fears began to form into answers. I then looked back at everything that had happened between me and Akko, looking for the signs that would confirm my fears.

That would confirm that I was no longer safe with her.

“Wha- what have you done?” I stuttered out with a wobbly voice, unable to stop shaking as the feeling in my stomach grew more intense and an aura of fatigue washed over me. Akko reached out to hold me and I nearly slapped her hand away, but after I had missed she wrapped her arm under my arms and around my back, lifting me up to stand.

“Oh I, well...” She paused, thinking of the right words. “I just want to make sure that no-one else bothers us!” She said it with such a confident happiness, such strong achievement. Before I could process her words any further, she brought me to the streaming setup she still had running. I saw a mass of text flurry past in caps lock, with big bold letters telling her to ‘stop’, ‘to not do this’, ‘to think about it’.

My fears were confirmed as I suppressed the urge to vomit.

“Hey Akkolites!” She said to her fanbase, addressing them by her own little term, her emotions completely out of touch with the reality of the situation. “This is my lover, Diana Cavendish!”

Time slowed. I could not believe this, I refused to comprehend it.

“And tonight..!”

I began to hunch over in her grip, my throbbing, drowsy eyes turning to face those deep, alluring burgundy orbs that glanced to meet my gaze.

“We’re gonna meet Shiny Chariot!”

My eyes watered, and my throat burned. I became short of breath, and I became so very, very dizzy. My vision started to cloud and a fire danced upon my cheeks, a weird warmth coursing through my body as I felt my chest tighten.

Suddenly we both fell down in a chorus of giggles.

I landed on her soft, warm body, her arms wrapped around me as she began to cough violently, laughing as she squeezed what was left of my life out of my increasingly fragile, delicate body.

I looked to the side and saw that Sucy had passed out on the sofa, her head hanging over the top of the chair, craning her neck in an almost unnatural state. The quick movement of Lotte slumping out of her chair quite my blurring vision next, a smile on her face as she closed her eyes for the last time.

Then I caught one of the pictures on the wall.

One of the leaked photos of Chariot and Croix laying on their sides, clinging to each other with wet cheeks and smiles on their faces.

How could I have been so blind?

I could not help but spew out some liquid, bloody and soupy, onto Akko’s front as I tried to inhale another breath into my body. The metallic, acid filled liquid in my throat caught in my windpipe, making me cough and vomit more and more, making it so very, very hard to breath. I could feel my consciousness slipping away, and I could not help but let a tear fall from my dulling, azure eyes.

I looked up one more time to see Akko staring at me with a loving smile, and deep, dead burgundy eyes that forced themselves to be seen despite the drowsiness that was hitting her. She then spoke for one final time, her eyes slowly closing as she muttered out her everlasting affection for me.

“I love you, Diana.”

For once, she said my name right.

**Author's Note:**

> F
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope I did okay! I'll get a third reading done a little later as this has worn me out a little, but I hope you were able to fill in the corrections yourself while reading. See ya next post o/ Remember to follow me on Tumblr if you haven't already: https://broeckoli.tumblr.com/


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